On This Day In Cricket - December 29

29th December is remembered in cricket history for several different reasons. Many legendary cricketers were born on this day, who went on to leave their mark on world cricket. This day is remembered for many key moments, from Travis Head’s birthday to England retaining the Ashes series in Australia. Here, we take a look at some of the major events that took place on December 29th in cricket history.

On This Day - December 29, 1993 - Travis Head Was Born

In recent years, if there's one batsman who has been the biggest match-winner for Australia, it's Travis Head. He is renowned for his aggressive batting across all three formats and has led Australia to victory in several crucial matches. Head is the only player in cricket history to have scored centuries in the finals of two different ICC tournaments in the same year. He scored centuries against India in both the World Test Championship 2023 final and the World Cup 2023 final and was named Player of the Match in both games.

Travis Head was born on 29 December 1993 in Adelaide. He made his ODI debut against the West Indies, T20I debut against India in 2016 and made his Test debut against Pakistan in 2018. He struggled performing at the beginning of his career and was dropped from the team. But he made his phenomenal comeback in the 2021-22 Ashes series and was named Player of the Series. Since then, Head has become a key member of the Australian team across all three formats.

On This Day - December 29, 2020 - India's Historic Victory in Melbourne After Being Bowled Out for 36 in Adelaide

During the 2020–21 Australia tour, India recovered from being bowled out for 36 in the first Test at Adelaide and won the second Test in Melbourne by eight wickets. India achieved this win without regular captain Virat Kohli, who was on paternity leave, and without Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, who were both injured. On 29 December, India set the platform for their first-ever Test series win in Australia by winning the Melbourne Test.

Acting as India’s captain, Ajinkya Rahane scored 112 and 27*, Shubman Gill made 45 and 35* and Mohammed Siraj took 2/40 and 3/37, as India completely outplayed Australia in the match. Siraj with the support of Jasprit Bumrah, bowled Australia out for 195 and 200 runs. This was India’s fourth Test win in Melbourne, making it their most successful overseas Test venue. It was also the debut Test for both Gill and Siraj.

On This Day - December 29, 1997 - Australia’s Fourth Women’s World Cup

Australia's dominance in women's cricket is popular worldwide, especially when it comes to the World Cup. This team has won a total of 7 ICC ODI World Cup titles so far, out of which they won their fourth title on this day. In the final of the 1997 Women's World Cup held in Kolkata, Australia defeated New Zealand by 5 wickets to win their fourth ODI World Cup trophy. This was also their 5th World Cup final match.

In this match, after winning the toss, New Zealand decided to bat first but could only manage 164 runs. Debbie Hockley played a brilliant innings of 79 runs off 121 balls and apart from Rebecca Rolls' 18 runs, no other player scored more than 10 runs. Australia chased down the target and scored 165 runs for the loss of five wickets in 47.4 overs and won the title. Australia captain Belinda Clark scored 52 runs off 81 balls, but despite Australia's victory, New Zealand's Debbie Hockley was chosen as the Player of the Match for her 79-run innings.

On This Day - December 29, 1949 - Indian wicketkeeper and World Cup Winner Syed Kirmani Birthday

Syed Kirmani is one of the greatest wicketkeepers in Indian cricket history and was born on 29 December 1949. Kirmani possessed the skill to change the course of a match from behind the wickets. He recorded 198 dismissals in his Test career, 38 of which were stumpings. In addition, he made valuable contributions with his batting in several crucial matches, for which he is still remembered today.

Syed Kirmani played 88 Test matches in his career, scoring 2759 runs in 124 innings, including two centuries. One of his centuries came against England and the other against Australia. Furthermore, he was a key member of the victorious Indian team in the 1983 World Cup. He was also the first wicketkeeper to take five dismissals in a single World Cup match, achieving this feat against Zimbabwe in Leicester in 1983.

On This Day - December 29, 1960 - David Boon Was Born

On 29 December 1960, former Australian cricket legend David Boon was born. Cricket fans still recognise him for his distinctive mustache and sturdy physique. Born in Tasmania, Boon played 107 Test matches for Australia, scoring 7422 runs with the help of 21 centuries and 32 half-centuries, a testament to his greatness. He also represented Australia in 181 One Day Internationals, scoring 5964 runs with 5 centuries and 37 half-centuries.

David Boon was also part of the Australian team that won the first World Cup in 1987 under the captaincy of Allan Border, where he was named Player of the Match for his 75 runs off 125 balls in the final against England. He played in two World Cups during his career, scoring 815 runs in 16 matches, including two centuries and five half-centuries. Among Boon's major achievements is his contribution to four Ashes series victories.

On This Day - December 29, 2010 - England Retained the Ashes in Australia

On this day in 2010, England retained the Ashes by beating Australia by an innings and 157 runs in the fourth Test in Melbourne. This achievement was particularly special because they had won the Ashes series in Australia after 24 years. In that match, Jonathan Trott was chosen as the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 168 runs in the first innings.

After winning the 2009 Ashes at home, beating Australia in their own conditions in 2010-11 was a major test for England. The first Test match began on 25 November in Brisbane was ended in a draw. Then in Adelaide, England secured a victory by an innings and 71 runs, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. However, in Perth (WACA), Australia won by 267 runs, leveling the series at 1-1. In the fourth Test match in Melbourne, England bowled out Australia for 98 runs in the first innings and 258 runs in the second innings, while scoring 513 runs in their own first innings. England went on to win the fifth Test by an innings and 83 runs, securing the Ashes series 2-1.

On This Day - December 29, 1976 - Legendary Spinner Saqlain Mushtaq Was Born

Whenever the names of Pakistan's greatest spinners are mentioned, off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq will always feature prominently. He was born on 29 December 1976 in Lahore. He was one of the few off-spinners who could spin the ball both ways. Mushtaq played 49 Test matches and 169 One Day Internationals for Pakistan, taking 208 and 288 wickets respectively. His bowling average in ODIs was 21.78, which is better than that of legends like Muralitharan, Kumble and Warne.

Saqlain Mushtaq also took two hat-tricks in One Day International cricket, both against Zimbabwe, one of which came in the 1999 World Cup. His exceptional bowling helped Surrey win the County Championship in 1999 and 2000. However, despite consistent performances, he received fewer opportunities in international matches after 2000 and his international career ended in 2004. He continued to play county cricket and later served as a spin bowling consultant for the England cricket team.